A burning desire to cool off

Published 3:06 pm, Friday, April 22, 2016

It’s been quite the year for interesting weather of all sorts, to which the extra snow days, ferocious spring storms, early summer mugginess and over-the-top heat will attest.

Michiganders are a hardy people. It was not that long ago, according to seniors who enjoy recalling their youth, that air conditioning was unheard of except in movie theaters and grocery stores.

The vast majority of homes simply didn’t have a way to cool their owners throughout the summer months. Window air conditioners were noisy, expensive and ugly, and only the wealthy tried the newfangled technology in their homes.

But, we’ve heard that 50 years ago it seemed there were fewer days in the 90s, and an occasional summer came along that never saw 70 degrees. Fans, ice, cool drinks, open windows, playing in the backyard hose and trips to a lake took care of the worst summer days back in the day.

Now, if power goes out like it did this week (and might continue to do so for a few more days, according to forecasts), folks are stuck with flashlights, candles, open windows, cold showers, and hanging out at places where power wasn’t lost or has been restored.

Chicago’s deadly heat wave of 1995 was a killer summer. Some 500 to 600 people died of heat-related deaths that occurred in just five days, according to reports. And, even if the weather is cooling somewhat now, expect more hot days that can be dangerous to some, and a direct threat to life for others. If you have a neighbor you know who is elderly or ill, or has some other hardship, reach out a helping hand.

If your power is still out, or you are without air conditioning in the first place, be sure to do everything you can to stay cool, and that goes for your pets, too. A big bowl of ice placed in front of a fan can cool things down if you sit or lie down in the air stream. Cool showers or baths bring down body heat. We don’t know how your cat or dog might react to joining you in the bath, so we’ll let you decide on following that tip.

We used to say a nice drive in the country with the car’s air conditioning going full blast would be a good idea, but, with gas prices rising faster than the space shuttle (and, don’t you wonder how many miles you get to a gallon of rocket fuel?), it could, depending on your car or truck or 10-year-old SUV, cost you $50 for a trip around the Thumb. Of course, you could just turn on the motor and let it idle in the driveway for awhile in the hottest part of the day. Bring a book and some snack food. Of course, if you live in town your neighbors won’t appreciate the car’s fumes entering their open windows. Better scratch that idea.

That leaves movies, stores and the great outdoors. Drink plenty of water, but no gin and tonic. Alcohol dehydrates. But if you are knocking back a couple of beers or other adult beverage, be sure to drink some water in between. That assumes you are of age and are not driving anywhere, period.

Here’s our best tip for kids and adults alike and it can be pretty inexpensive. Invest in the biggest backyard pool you can afford. They’re under $10 for kiddy size. And there are some well made puffy rubber pools about two or three feet high that can act as a reverse hot tub for grown-ups. Fill it up with the hose, slip into your bathing suit, bring out something icy to drink and get out of the hot house and into the cool pool.